The invention relates generally to the field of housings for communication devices.
Housings for portable electronic devices, such a mobile telephones, are known in the art. Such devices may include an internal tranceiver housing assembly, which contains the most of the functional components of the device and is often referred to the in the art as an “endoskeleton.” The endoskeleton contains the display and electrical components. A protective shell or external housing, often referred to as an “exoskeleton,” protects the endoskeleton, provides a pleasing appearance and provides an array of holes through which keypad keys protrude. Typically, the housing includes front and rear halves that envelope the exoskeleton when attached to each other.
More recently the front and/or rear halves have been provide that are designed to be assembled and/or replaced by the consumer. This allows the consumer to replace a damaged housing or simply replace all or part of the original housing with a housing having a different appearance. Such devices are ordinarily designed so that the lower portions of the front and rear housings must be assembled first, then the upper portions of the housings are rotated toward one another and latched together. The housings of the prior art provide only one method of assembly and are difficult to align during assembly. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved housing structure that will facilitate assembly of the device.